System and Method for Location Transparency

ABSTRACT

A service that augments a key element of Unified Messaging and Unified Communications initiatives—i.e., Mobile Subscriber Location Awareness—to enhance substantially the value, usefulness, etc. of the presence awareness, place shifting, etc. components of such initiatives. The service may optionally leverage the capabilities of a centrally-located, full-featured Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/814,047, filed on Jun. 16, 2006, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications services.More particularly, the present invention relates to capabilities thatenhance substantially a key element of Unified Messaging (UM) andUnified Communications (UC) initiatives—i.e., Mobile Subscriber (MS)Location Awareness (LA).

2. Background of the Invention

As the ‘wireless revolution’ continues to march forward the importanceto a MS, for example a user of a Wireless Device (WD) such as a cellulartelephone or a BlackBerry that is serviced by a Wireless Carrier (WC),of their WD grows substantially.

For example, under UM and UC schemes or environments, among otherthings, the storage, management, presentation, etc. of multiplemessaging paradigms or models (including, inter alia, voice, ShortMessage Service [SMS], Multimedia Message Service [MMS], InternetProtocol [IP] Multimedia Subsystem [IMS], Instant Messenger [IM],Electronic Mail [E-Mail], facsimile transmission [FAX], etc.) aredynamically adapted to match or otherwise meet the unique requirements,needs, etc. of a MS′ particular circumstances and are subsequentlyexposed or offered to a MS′ WD through mechanisms such as SessionInitiation Protocol (SIP), Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP), SessionInitiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence LeveragingExtensions (SIMPLE), eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP),etc.

A key element in the determination of a MS′ ‘particular circumstances’(as referenced above) is knowledge of the current physical location of aMS′ WD—i.e., MS LA.

MS LA-based service offerings are of particular interest to, forexample, individuals who are ‘on call’ for business reasons (e.g.,technical support, etc.) or for personal reasons (e.g., a medicalcondition such as organ transplantation, pregnancy, etc.), firstresponders, individuals within a large corporate environment, etc.

The present invention extends key elements of wireless technology toaugment MS LA-based offerings and addresses various of the (notinsubstantial) challenges that are associated with same therebyincrementally enhancing the value, usefulness, etc. of the presenceawareness, place shifting, etc. components of UM and UC schemes orenvironments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a service that augments akey element of UM and UC initiatives—i.e., MS LA—to enhancesubstantially the value, usefulness, etc. of the presence awareness,place shifting, etc. components of such initiatives.

In an embodiment of the invention a Service Provider (SP) (1) receives alocation update from a WC indicative of the current physical location ofa MS's WD, (2) completes one or more processing steps on the receivedlocation update using, possibly inter alia, information that waspreviously supplied by the MS, and (3) updates one or more elementswithin a repository with the results of the processing steps.

In another embodiment of the invention a SP (1) receives a locationinquiry from a requestor, (2) processes the received inquiry, and (3)dispatches one or more response messages, containing current locationinformation, to the requestor. The location inquiry and the responsemessages may transit any number of channels including, possibly interalia, SMS, MMS, IMS, IM, E-Mail, a Web-based facility, etc.

In another embodiment of the invention a SP (1) receives a contactinquiry from a requestor, (2) processes the received inquiry, and (3)dispatches one or more response messages, containing current contactinformation, to the requestor. The contact inquiry and the responsemessages may transit any number of channels including, possibly interalia, SMS, MMS, IMS, IM, E-Mail, a Web-based facility, etc.

In still another embodiment, there is provided a method for providingcontact information for a mobile subscriber. Registration information isreceived from a mobile subscriber including information aboutpredetermined locations frequented by the mobile subscriber and contactinformation is further received corresponding to at least some of saidpredetermined locations. A wireless carrier providing service to themobile subscriber provides an indication of a current location of awireless device belonging to the mobile subscriber.

A query for contact information for the mobile subscriber is receivedand then, based, at least in part, on the indication of the currentlocation of the wireless device belonging to the mobile subscriber, oneof the predetermined locations frequented by the mobile subscriber isidentified as a present location of the mobile subscriber. The contactinformation corresponding to the present location of the mobilesubscriber, if any, is then selected, and a message, in response to thequery, is generated and sent, then message including the contactinformation corresponding to the present location of the mobilesubscriber.

These and other features of the embodiments of the present inventionalong with their attendant advantages will be more fully appreciatedupon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction withthe associated drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic presentation of an exemplary MessagingInter-Carrier Vendor (MICV).

FIG. 2 illustrates various of the exchanges or interactions that aresupported by aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic presentation of aspects of an exemplary SPApplication Server (AS).

FIG. 4 illustrates elements of an exemplary data model that issupportive of aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 5 presents illustrative contents of an exemplary data model.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may leverage the capabilities of acentrally-located, full-featured MICV facility. Reference is made toU.S. Pat. No. 7,154,901 entitled “INTERMEDIARY NETWORK SYSTEM AND METHODFOR FACILITATING MESSAGE EXCHANGE BETWEEN WIRELESS NETWORKS,” and itsassociated continuations, for a description of a MICV, a summary ofvarious of the services/functions/etc. that are performed by a MICV, anda discussion of the numerous advantages that arise from same.

As illustrated by FIG. 1 and reference numeral 100 a MICV 120 isdisposed between, possibly inter alia, multiple WCs (WC₁ 114→WC_(x) 118)on one side and multiple SPs (SP₁ 122→SP_(y) 124) on the other side andthus ‘bridges’ all of the connected entities. A MICV 120 thus, as onesimple example, may offer various routing, formatting, delivery,value-add, etc. capabilities that provide, possibly inter alia:

1) A WC, WC₁ 114→WC_(x) 118 (and by extension all of the MSs [MS₁102→MS_(a) 104, MS₁ 106→MS_(b) 108, MS₁ 110→MS, 112] that are servicedby a WC [WC₁ 114→WC_(x) 118]), with ubiquitous access to a broaduniverse of SPs (SP₁ 122→SP_(y) 124), and

2) A SP (SP₁ 122→SP_(y) 124) with ubiquitous access to a broad universeof WCs (WC₁ 114→WC_(x) 118 and, by extension, to all of the MSs [MS₁ 102MS_(a) 104, MS₁ 106→MS_(b) 108, MS₁ 110→MS_(c) 112] that are serviced bya WC [WC₁ 114→WC_(x) 118]).

Generally speaking a MICV may have varying degrees of visibility (e.g.,access, etc.) to the (MS←→MS, MS←→SP, etc.) messaging traffic:

1) A WC may elect to route just their out-of-network messaging trafficto a MICV. Under this approach the MICV would have visibility (e.g.,access, etc.) to just the portion of the WC's messaging traffic that wasdirected to the MICV by the WC.

2) A WC may elect to route all of their messaging traffic to a MICV. TheMICV may, possibly among other things, subsequently return to the WCthat portion of the messaging traffic that belongs to (i.e., that isdestined for a MS of) the WC. Under this approach the MICV would havevisibility (e.g., access, etc.) to all of the WC's messaging traffic.

While the discussion below will include a MICV it will be readilyapparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerousother arrangements are equally applicable and indeed are fully withinthe scope of the present invention.

In the discussion below the present invention is described andillustrated as being offered by a SP. A SP may, for example, be realizedas a third-party service bureau, an element of a WC or a landlinecarrier, an element of a MICV, multiple third-party entities workingtogether, etc.

In the discussion below reference is made to messages that are sent, forexample, between a MS and a SP. As set forth below, a given ‘message’sent between a MS and a SP may actually comprise a series of steps inwhich the message is received, forwarded and routed between differententities, including possibly inter alia a MS, a WC, a MICV, and a SP.Thus, unless otherwise indicated, it will be understood that referenceto a particular message generally includes that particular message asconveyed at any stage between an origination source, such as for examplea MS, and an end receiver, such as for example a SP. As such, referenceto a particular message generally includes a series of relatedcommunications between, for example, a MS and a WC; a WC and a MICV; aMICV and a SP; etc. The series of related communications may, ingeneral, contain substantially the same information, or information maybe added or subtracted in different communications that nevertheless maybe generally referred to as a same message. To aid in clarity, aparticular message, whether undergoing changes or not, is referred to bydifferent reference numbers at different stages between a source and anendpoint of the message.

To better understand the particulars of the present invention considerfor a moment a simple hypothetical example—SP SP_(x) offers a servicethat has been enhanced or augmented as provided through the instantinvention and Mary, a MS, uses SP_(x)'s service.

FIG. 2 and reference numeral 200 illustrate various of the exchanges orinteractions that might occur under a portion of our hypotheticalexample. Of interest and note in the diagram are the following entities:

MS 202 WD 206. For example, Mary's WD such as a cellular telephone,

BlackBerry, PalmPilot, etc.

MS 202 Personal Computer (PC) 208. For example, one of Mary's home,work, etc. PCs.

WC 210. The provider of service for Mary's WD 206.

MICV 212. As noted above the use of a MICV 212, although not required,provides significant advantages.

SP 204 Web Server (WS) 214. A publicly-available World Wide Web (WWW)site that is optionally provided by SP_(x) 204.

SP 204 Billing Interface (BI) 216. A single, consolidated interface thatSP_(x) 204 may use to easily reach, inter alia, one or more externalentities such as a credit card or debit card clearinghouse, a carrierbilling system, a service bureau that provides access to multiplecarrier billing systems, etc.

SP 204 AS 218. Facilities that provide key elements of the instantinvention (which will be described below).

It is important to note or observe that in FIG. 2:

1) The MS 202 WD 206 and MS 202 PC 208 entities are illustrated as beingadjacent or otherwise near each other. In actual practice the entitiesmay, for example, be physically located anywhere.

2) The messages are shown traversing a MICV 212.

3) The SP 204 may employ a Short Code (SC) or a regular Telephone Number(TN) as its source address (and to which it would ask users of itsservice to direct any messages). While the abbreviated length of a SC(e.g., five digits for a SC administered by Neustar under the CommonShort Code [CSC] program) incrementally enhances the experience of a MS202 (e.g., the MS 202 need remember and enter only a few digits as thedestination address of a message) it also, by definition, constrains theuniverse of available SCs thereby causing each individual SC to be alimited or scarce resource and raising a number of SC/CSC management,etc. issues. A description of a common (i.e., universal) short codeenvironment may be found in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/742,764 entitled “UNIVERSAL SHORT CODE ADMINISTRATION FACILITY,”which is incorporated herein by reference.

In FIG. 2 the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set 1represent the activities that might take place as Mary (our MS 202)completes a registration process with SP_(x) 204. For example:

A) Mary 202 uses one of her PCs 208 to visit a WS 214 that is offered bySP_(x) 204 to, possibly among other things, complete a serviceregistration process (220→222).

B) SP_(x)'s 204 WS 214 interacts with SP_(x)'s 204 AS 218 to, possiblyamong other things, commit some or all of the information that Mary 202provided to a data repository (e.g., a database), optionally complete abilling transaction, etc. (224).

C) As appropriate and as required a BI 216 completes a billingtransaction (226→230).

D) SP_(x)'s 204 WS 214 responds appropriately (e.g., with thepresentation of a confirmation message, etc.) (234→236).

The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under thedesignation Set 1) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparentto one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous otherexchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope ofthe present invention. As just one example, the registration process maybe completed through any combination of one or more channels including,inter alia, the indicated WWW facility, wireless messaging (SMS, MMS,IMS, etc.), E-Mail messages, IM exchanges, conventional mail, telephone,Interactive Voice Response (IVR) facilities, etc.

During the registration process that was described above a range ofinformation may be captured from a MS including, inter alia:

1) Identifying Information (e.g., general information about Mary). Forexample, possibly among other things, a unique identifier and apassword, optionally a pseudonym or handle, name, address, age, etc.

2) Billing Information. Different service billing models may be offeredby SP_(x) including, possibly inter alia, free (e.g., possiblyadvertising-based), a fixed one-time charge, a recurring (monthly, etc.)fixed charge, a recurring (monthly, etc.) variable charge, a per-usecharge, etc. Different payment mechanisms may be supported by SP_(x)including, possibly among other things, credit or debit cardinformation, authorization to place a charge on a MS's phone bill, etc.

3) Locations (e.g., the various physical locations [home, work, schools,stores, etc.] that Mary frequents and which Mary wishes to explicitlyidentify). For example, possibly among other things, a briefdescription, the full physical address, etc.

4) Contacts (e.g., all of the different ways that Mary may be contacted[telephone, E-Mail, IM, etc.] and which Mary wishes to make available).For example, possibly inter alia, wireline telephone numbers (e.g.,home, work, etc.), wireless telephone numbers (e.g., personal, work,etc.), E-Mail addresses (e.g., personal, work, etc.), 1 M handles (e.g.,personal, work, etc.), Uniform Resource Locators (URLs, for example apersonal Web site), etc.

5) Associations (e.g., the mapping or association between a location anda contact along with the relative prioritization [1^(st), 2^(nd), etc.]of same).

The specific pieces of information that were described above areillustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art that numerous other pieces of information areeasily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the presentinvention.

As noted above the information that Mary provided during theregistration process may be preserved in a data repository (e.g., adatabase) and may optionally be organized as a MS Profile. For purposesof illustration a portion of an exemplary MS Profile data model ispresented in FIG. 4 (and reference numeral 400) and selected contents ofsame are presented in FIG. 5 (and reference numeral 500).

The content of Mary's profile may optionally be augmented by SP_(x). Forexample, for each of the identified locations an internal or externaldata source may be queried to determine the latitude (φ or Phi) andlongitude (λ or Lambda) of the location from the physical address of thelocation.

As noted above, a SP's BI may optionally complete a billing transaction.The billing transaction may take any number of forms and may involvedifferent external entities (e.g., a WC's billing system, a carrierbilling system service bureau, a credit or debit card clearinghouse,etc.). The billing transaction may include, inter alia:

1) The appearance of a line item charge on the bill or statement that aMS receives from her WC. Exemplary mechanics and logistics associatedwith this approach are described in pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/837,695 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BILLING AUGMENTATION.”Other ways of completing or performing line item billing are easilyimplemented by those skilled in the art.

2) The charging of a credit card or the debiting of a debit card.

In FIG. 2 the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set 2represent the activities that might take place as SP_(x) 204 registers,coordinates, etc. with WC 210 to, possibly among other things, receivefrom WC 210 Location Based Services (LBS)-based, Global PositioningSystem (GPS)-based, etc. location updates regarding or concerning Mary's202 WD 206 (238→244).

The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under thedesignation Set 2) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparentto one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous otherexchanges (including, inter alia, a WC 210 optionally explicitlyconfirming with a MS 202 their desire/acceptance before beginning toprovide MS 202 WD 206 location information to a SP 204, updates tovarious of the information in a MS Profile in a SP's 204 repository,etc.) are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of thepresent invention.

In FIG. 2 the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set 3represent the activities that might take place as SP_(x) 204 dispatchesto Mary 202 one or more confirmation E-Mail messages (246→248).

The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under thedesignation Set 3) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparentto one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous otherexchanges (including, inter alia, other types or forms of confirmationmessages) are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope ofthe present invention.

In FIG. 2 the exchanges that are collected under the designation Set 4represent the activities that might take place as SP_(x)'s 204 AS 218dispatches one or more confirmation SMS, MMS, IMS, etc. messages toMary's 202 WD 206 and Mary 202 replies or responds to the message(s). Inthe instant example the messages are shown traversing a MICV 212. The SP204 may employ a SC or a regular TN as its source address (and to whichit would ask a MS 202 to direct any reply messages).

The specific exchanges that were described above (as residing under thedesignation Set 4) are illustrative only and it will be readily apparentto one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerous otherexchanges are easily possible and indeed are fully within the scope ofthe present invention.

The Set 1, Set 2, Set 3, and Set 4 exchanges that were described aboveare illustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art that numerous other exchanges are easilypossible and indeed are fully within the scope of the present invention.

The information that was described above may be subsequently managed(e.g., existing information may be edited or removed, new informationmay be added, etc.) through any combination of one or more channelsincluding, inter alia, a SP's WWW facility, wireless messaging (SMS,MMS, IMS, etc.), E-Mail messages, IM exchanges, conventional mail,telephone, IVR facilities, etc.

To continue with our hypothetical example . . . After completing theregistration process Mary goes about her normal activities—e.g., shedrives to work, she attends meetings, she works in her office, she goesto lunch, she drives home, she attends functions at her children'sschools, she goes shopping, she attends sporting events, she travels onbusiness, etc. As Mary moves about her WC provides updates to SP_(x)containing information about the physical location of Mary's WD.

The WC-supplied location updates may consist of any combination of, forexample, real-time, periodic, batched, etc. updates and may be conveyedthrough any combination of, for example, SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messages,eXtensible Markup Language (XML) documents, custom ApplicationProgramming Interfaces (APIs), etc. For purposes of illustration anexemplary XML document might contain, possibly inter alia:

<MSLocationUpdate> <MSTN> <703-555-9876> </MSTN> <MSLatitude> <φ₃></MSLatitude> <MSLongitude> <λ₃> </MSLongitude> </MSLocationUpdate>

After a SP receives a location update from a WC it may complete one ormore processing steps. For example:

1) The TN of the instant MS WD may be extracted from information in thereceived location update.

2) The Contacts portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 406 in FIG. 4and 506 in FIG. 5) may be queried using the extracted TN to obtain MSId.

3) The latitude (φ) and the longitude (λ) of the instant MS WD may beextracted, and/or otherwise obtained or developed, from information inthe received location update.

4) The Locations portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 404 in FIG. 4and 504 in FIG. 5) may be queried using (a) MSId, (b) theextracted/obtained/developed/etc. latitude (φ) and longitude (λ) and (c)a defined level (+/−) of position granularity or precision to obtainLocationId. (If no match is identified then LocationId of the MS′default ‘Other’ location may be employed.)

5) The MS s portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 402 in FIG. 4 and502 in FIG. 5) may be updated (using MSId) to preserve LocationId inCurrentLocationId.

The catalog of processing steps that were described above areillustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art that numerous other processing steps areeasily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the presentinvention.

To continue with our hypothetical example . . . At any time Mary mayoptionally submit a location inquiry (i.e., a “Where am I?” test) todetermine where SP_(x) believes Mary to be at that moment in time. Suchan inquiry may be submitted through any combination of one or morechannels including, inter alia, SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messages, Web-basedfacility, IM messages, E-Mail messages, telephone call, IVR facility,etc. The returned response message may traverse any combination of oneor more of the above channels and may include, possibly inter alia,current location information.

At any time Mary may optionally submit a ‘spot’ update to fine-tune orotherwise refine the location where SP_(x) believes Mary to be at thatmoment in time. Such an update may be submitted through any combinationof one or more channels including, inter alia, SMS/MMS/IMS/etc.messages, Web-based facility, IM messages, E-Mail messages, telephonecall, IVR facility, etc. An optional response message may traverse anycombination of one or more of the above channels and may include,possibly inter alia, confirmation of the update.

Employing interactions similar to those that were just described SP_(x)may optionally dispatch a (SMS/MMS/IMS/etc., IM, etc.) message to Marythe first time that Mary visits each of her defined locations andoptionally allow Mary to confirm, refine/correct, etc. same through a‘spot’ update.

At any time Mary may optionally submit a contact inquiry (i.e., a “Howcan I be reached?” test) to determine what SP_(x) believes to be thecorrect way of contacting Mary at that moment in time. Such an inquirymay be submitted through any combination of one or more channelsincluding, inter alia, SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messages, Web-based facility, IMmessages, E-Mail messages, telephone call, IVR facility, etc. Thereturned response message may traverse any combination of one or more ofthe above channels and may include, possibly inter alia, current contactdetails.

A SP may optionally secure one or more of the interactions that werejust described through the appropriate use of an identifier/passwordmechanism.

To continue with our hypothetical example . . . At any time aninterested third-party may submit a contact inquiry for a MS (i.e., a‘How may I reach Mary?’ inquiry). Such an inquiry may be based on anycombination of one or more identifiers such as, possibly inter alia,name, TN, E-Mail address, IM handle, etc. Such an inquiry may besubmitted through any combination of one or more channels including,inter alia, SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messages, Web-based facility (at a URL suchas ContactMe.com or HowToReachMe.com), IM messages, E-Mail messages,telephone call, IVR facility, etc.

After a SP receives a contact inquiry it may complete one or moreprocessing steps. For example:

1) The identifier of the instant MS (e.g., name, TN, E-Mail address, IMhandle, etc.) may be extracted from information in the received contactinquiry.

2) The Contacts portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 406 in FIGS. 4and 506 in FIG. 5) may be queried using the extracted identifier toobtain MSId. (If no match is identified then a ‘Not Found’ failureresponse may be returned.)

3) The MS s portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 402 in FIG. 4 and502 in FIG. 5 [and reference numeral 500]) may be queried using MDId toobtain CurrentLocationId.

4) The Associations portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 408 inFIG. 4 and 508 in FIG. 5) may be queried using (Current)LocationId and aPriority of 1 to obtain ContactId.

5) The Contacts portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 406 in FIG. 4and 506 in FIG. 5) may be queried using ContactId to obtain Value.

6) The obtained Value may be returned to the requestor in a responsemessage (which may traverse any combination of one or more of the aboveidentified channels—e.g., SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messages, IM messages, E-Mailmessages, etc.).

The catalog of processing steps that were described above areillustrative only and it will be readily apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the relevant art that numerous other processing steps areeasily possible and indeed are fully within the scope of the presentinvention.

For purposes of illustration consider for a moment a simple example thatmakes use of the exemplary data model contents that are presented inFIG. 5 (and reference numeral 500):

1) An interested third-party wishes to contact Mary and thereforesubmits a contact inquiry to SP_(x) based on Mary's personal E-Mailaddress (i.e., Mary37@SomeMailSvc.com).

2) The Contacts portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 406 in FIG. 4and 506 in FIG. 5) may be queried using the supplied identifier(Mary37@SomeMailSvc.com) to obtain MSId (1001 in the instant case).

3) The MS s portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 402 in FIG. 4 and502 in FIG. 5) may be queried using MDId (1001 in the instant case) toobtain CurrentLocationId (2003 in the instant case).

4) The Associations portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 408 inFIG. 4 and 508 in FIG. 5) may be queried using (Current)LocationId (2003in the instant case) and a Priority of 1 to obtain ContactId (3004 inthe instant case).

5) The Contacts portion of the SP's repository (e.g., see 406 in FIG. 4and 506 in FIG. 5) may be queried using ContactId (3004 in the instantcase) to obtain Value (703-555-3456 in the instant case).

6) The obtained Value (703-555-3456 in the instant case) may be returnedto the requestor in a response message.

Using the contact details that are included in a response message arequestor may attempt to contact/reach the instant MS. If the attempt isunsuccessful the requestor may optionally submit another contact inquiryin which case a SP may leverage its internal tracking or statemaintenance to identify the new contact inquiry as inquiry number 2 andthus change the Priority designation in the Associations query from 1 to2. If the contact attempt using the details returned in the secondresponse message is unsuccessful and (yet) another contact inquiry issubmitted the SP may change the Priority designation in the Associationsquery from 2 to 3. Such a cycle may continue until the availablecontacts are exhausted at which point a ‘No Further Contacts Available’response message may be returned to the requestor.

A SP may optionally require that an interested third-party complete aregistration process before the third-party is allowed to submit contactinquiries. Such a registration process may employ one or moreaspects/elements of Mary's registration process that was describedabove. Through such a registration process a SP may optionally associatean identifier/password to a third-party and may optionally require thata third-party supply those credentials each time that they submit acontact inquiry.

If SP_(x) were to require such third-party registration then SP_(x) mayoptionally allow Mary to, possibly inter alia:

1) Explicitly identify those third parties to whom Mary wishes to grantinquiry access. Any other (i.e., unidentified) third-party inquirermight receive, for example, a ‘Not Authorized’ response message.

2) Dynamically change the content, etc. of a response message based onthe identity of an inquirer—e.g., if Mary's husband were inquiring thenthe TN of Mary's WD might always be returned; if one of Mary's friendswere inquiring then Mary's work E-Mail address might be returned; etc.Additionally, specific information about Mary—e.g., her vCard, herpersonal or professional Web site URL, etc.—may also be conditionallyincluded in a response message based on the identity of an inquirer.

Such processing and response message behavior may be directed through abody of flexible, extensible, dynamically configurable, and easilymanaged rule sets.

A SP may optionally provide any number of value-add additions to thecore functionality that was described above. Such additions may carry anincremental (one-time, recurring, etc.) fee or charge. For example, a SPmay offer:

1) Alerts. For example, Mary may indicate that she would like (e.g., fortracking purposes) that an alert to, or an indication of, each incomingcontact inquiry be directed to a specified destination (e.g., TN, E-Mailaddress, IM address, etc.).

2) Diversion. For example, Mary may indicate that in addition to contactinquiries that actual (SMS/MMS/IMS, etc.) messages should also besubject to similar rule-based diversion or re-direction. Under such amessage diversion scheme a MICV may, as just one example, ‘intercept’incoming messages and appropriately re-direct them (based on, possiblyinter alia, flexible, extensible, dynamically configurable, and easilymanaged routing, etc. rules; additional interactions with an SP; etc.).

3) Directories. For example, in a corporate setting an on-line directoryof all employees (with real-time indicators for the current locationsand/or the current contact vehicles for each employee) may be offeredthrough, among other channels, a Web-based facility. Such a directoriesmay be augmented or enhanced by, possibly among other means, tying intoexisting corporate (employee, telephone, etc.) directories. Suchdirectories may facilitate, for example, intelligent searches—‘Who isthe most senior employee with skills/knowledge X, Y, and Z who iscurrently in building 3 of the corporate office campus?’

A SP may optionally provide a first responder, legal intercept, etc.capability through which any of the exchanges or interactions that weredescribed above may be monitored, transparently altered or modified,etc.

The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) that were described abovemay include any number of textual, visual, etc. information elements.For example, various response messages may contain an XML documentsimilar to (as one simple illustrative example):

<ContactInformation> <703-555-3456> </ContactInformation>

The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) that were described abovemay optionally contain an informational element—e.g., a relevant orapplicable factoid about a specific drug, etc. The informational elementmay be selected statically (e.g., all generated messages are injectedwith the same informational text), randomly (e.g., a generated messageis injected with informational text that is randomly selected from apool of available informational text), or location-based (i.e., agenerated message is injected with informational text that is selectedfrom a pool of available informational text based on the currentphysical location of the recipient of the message as derived from, asone example, a LBS facility).

The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) may optionally containadvertising—e.g., textual material if an SMS model is being utilized, ormultimedia (images of brand logos, sound, video snippets, etc.) materialif an MMS model is being utilized. The advertising material may beselected statically (e.g., all generated messages are injected with thesame advertising material), randomly (e.g., a generated message isinjected with advertising material that is randomly selected from a poolof available material), or location-based (i.e., a generated message isinjected with advertising material that is selected from a pool ofavailable material based on the current physical location of therecipient of the message as derived from, as one example, a LBSfacility).

The confirmation, response, etc. message(s) may optionally containpromotional materials (e.g., still images, video clips, etc.).

FIG. 3 and reference numeral 300 provide a diagrammatic presentation ofaspects of an exemplary SP AS 302. The illustrated AS 302 containsseveral key components—Gateways (GW₁ 308→GW_(a) 310 in the diagram),Incoming Queues (IQ₁ 312→IQ_(b) 314 in the diagram), WorkFlows(WorkFlow₁ 318 WorkFlow_(d) 320 in the diagram), Database 322, OutgoingQueues (OQ₁ 324→OQ_(c) 326 in the diagram), and an Administrator 328. Itwill be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant artthat numerous other components are possible within an AS 302.

A dynamically updateable set of one or more Gateways (GW₁ 308 GW_(a) 310in the diagram) handle incoming (e.g., SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messaging, etc.)traffic and outgoing (e.g., SMS/MMS/IMS/etc. messaging, etc.) traffic.Incoming traffic is accepted and deposited on an intermediate ortemporary Incoming Queue (IQ₁ 312→IQ_(b) 314 in the diagram) forsubsequent processing. Processed artifacts are removed from anintermediate or temporary Outgoing Queue (OQ₁ 324→OQ_(c) 326 in thediagram) and then dispatched.

A dynamically updateable set of one or more Incoming Queues (IQ₁312→IQ_(b) 314 in the diagram) and a dynamically updateable set of oneor more Outgoing Queues (OQ₁ 324→OQ_(c) 326 in the diagram) operate asintermediate or temporary buffers for incoming and outgoing traffic.

A dynamically updateable set of one or more WorkFlows (WorkFlow₁318→WorkFlow_(d) 320 in the diagram) remove incoming traffic from anintermediate or temporary Incoming Queue (IQ₁ 312→IQ_(b) 314 in thediagram), perform all of the required processing operations (more aboutthis below), and deposit processed artifacts on an intermediate ortemporary Outgoing Queue (OQ₁ 324→OQ_(c) 326 in the diagram).

The Database 322 that is depicted in FIG. 3 is a logical representationof the possibly multiple physical repositories that may be implementedto support, inter alia, configuration, profile, monitoring, alerting,etc. information. The physical repositories may be implemented throughany combination of conventional Relational Database Management Systems(RDBMSs) such as Oracle, through Object Database Management Systems(ODBMSs), through in-memory Database Management Systems (DBMSs), orthrough any other equivalent facilities.

As depicted in FIG. 3 an Administrator 328 provides management oradministrative control over all of the different components of an AS 302through, as one example, a WWW-based interface 330. It will be readilyapparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that numerousother interfaces (e.g., a data feed, an API, etc.) are easily possible.

Through flexible, extensible, and dynamically updatable configurationinformation a WorkFlow component may be quickly and easily realized tosupport any number of activities. For example, WorkFlows might beconfigured to support a registration process; to support interactionswith a WC; to support the receipt and processing of location updatesfrom WCs; to support the generation and dispatch of confirmation,response, etc. messages; to support various billing transactions; tosupport the generation of scheduled and/or on-demand reports; etc. Thespecific WorkFlows that were just described are exemplary only; it willbe readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art thatnumerous other WorkFlow arrangements, alternatives, etc. are easilypossible.

A SP may maintain a repository (e.g., a database) into which selecteddetails of all administrative, messaging, etc. activities may berecorded. Among other things, such a repository may be used to support:

1) Scheduled (e.g., daily, weekly, etc.) and/or on-demand reporting withreport results delivered through SMS, MMS, IMS, etc. messages; throughE-Mail; through a WWW-based facility; etc.

2) Scheduled and/or on-demand data mining initiatives (possiblyleveraging or otherwise incorporating one or more external data sources)with the results of same presented through Geographic InformationSystems (GISs), visualization, etc. facilities and delivered throughSMS, MMS, IMS, etc. messages; through E-Mail; through a WWW-basedfacility; etc.

It is important to note that while aspects of the discussion that waspresented above focused on the use of SCs, it will be readily apparentto one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that TNs and other messageaddress identifiers are equally applicable and, indeed, are fully withinthe scope of the present invention.

The discussion that was just presented referenced two specific wirelessmessaging paradigms—SMS and MMS. These paradigms potentially offer anincremental advantage over other paradigms in that native support forSMS and/or MMS is commonly found on a WD that a potential MS would becarrying. However, it is to be understood that it would be readilyapparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art that otherparadigms (IMS, etc.) are fully within the scope of the presentinvention.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, which was described in the narrative and which wasillustrated in the accompanying figures, has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It will bereadily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art thatnumerous alternatives to the presented embodiments are easily possibleand, indeed, are fully within the scope of the present invention.

The following list defines acronyms as used in this disclosure.

Acronym Meaning API Application Programming Interface AS ApplicationServer BI Billing Interface CSC Common Short Code DBMS DatabaseManagement System E-Mail Electronic Mail FAX Facsimile Transmission GPSGlobal Positioning System GW Gateway IM Instant Messenger IMS IPMultimedia Subsystem IP Internet Protocol IQ Incoming Queue IVRInteractive Voice Response LA Location Awareness LBS Location BasedService MICV Messaging Inter-Carrier Vendor MMS Multimedia MessageService MS Mobile Subscriber ODBMS Object Database Management System OQOutgoing Queue PC Personal Computer RDBMS Relational Database ManagementSystem RTP Real-time Transport Protocol SC Short Code SIMPLE SessionInitiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence LeveragingExtensions SIP Session Initiation Protocol SMS Short Message Service SPService Provider TN Telephone Number UC Unified Communications UMUnified Messaging WC Wireless Carrier WD Wireless Device WF WorkFlow WSWeb Server WWW World Wide Web XML Extensible Markup Language XMPPExtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol

1-29. (canceled)
 30. A method for providing contact information for aMobile Subscriber (MS), the method comprising: receiving from the MSregistration information comprising (i) information about predeterminedlocations frequented by the MS and (ii) contact informationcorresponding to at least one of the predetermined locations; receivingfrom a wireless carrier providing service to a Wireless Device (WD) ofthe MS an indication of a location of the WD, yielding a current WDlocation; based at least in part on the current WD location, identifyingone of the predetermined locations frequented by the MS as a current MSlocation; receiving at a gateway a contact inquiry for the MS, thecontact inquiry comprising a MS identifier; based at least in part onthe MS identifier selecting contact information corresponding to thecurrent MS location, if any, yielding current MS contact information;and generating a response message comprising the current MS contactinformation.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the MS identifier isone of (a) a name, (b) a telephone number, (c) an E-Mail address, or (d)an instant messaging handle.
 32. The method of claim 30, wherein theindication of a location of the WD is received continuously.
 33. Themethod of claim 30, wherein the indication of a location of the WDcomprises a latitude value and a longitude value.
 34. The method ofclaim 30, further comprising requiring a third party who initiated thecontact inquiry to complete a registration process.
 35. The method ofclaim 34, further comprising receiving authorization from the MS torelease the current MS contact information based on information receivedduring the third party registration process.
 36. The method of claim 34,further comprising altering aspects of the current MS contactinformation based on an identity of the third party.
 37. A method forproviding contact information for a Mobile Subscriber (MS), the methodcomprising: receiving from a wireless carrier providing service to aWireless Device (WD) of the MS information on a location of the WD,yielding a current WD location; based at least in part on the current WDlocation updating a repository comprising predefined locationsfrequented by the MS yielding a current MS location; receiving at agateway a contact inquiry for the MS, the contact inquiry comprising aMS identifier; based at least in part on the MS identifier retrievingfrom the repository contact information corresponding to the current MSlocation, if any, yielding current MS contact information; andgenerating a response message comprising the current MS contactinformation.
 38. The method of claim 37, wherein the MS identifier isone of (a) a name, (b) a telephone number, (c) an E-Mail address, or (d)an instant messaging handle.
 39. The method of claim 37, furthercomprising requiring a third party who initiated the contact inquiry tocomplete a registration process.
 40. The method of claim 39, furthercomprising receiving authorization from the MS to release the current MScontact information based on information received during the third partyregistration process.
 41. The method of claim 39, further comprisingaltering aspects of the current MS contact information based on anidentity of the third party.
 42. The method of claim 37, wherein theinformation on a location of the WD is received continuously.
 43. Themethod of claim 37, wherein the information on a location of the WDcomprises a latitude value and a longitude value.